10 oz. tap pour at the brewery. Magnificent! One of the truly great beers in the world. This is what others want their RIS to be. Black as night with a thin, tan head. Aromas of coffee, cocoa, roasted malts and molasses with more of the same in each sip. Viscous mouth feel, low carbonation and warming alcohol on the palate. Very malty, sweet but not cloying. Legendary. (371 characters)

Pours a motor oil black color, with a dark brown, stable head, with lots of bubbles in it. Leaves back a viscous film after swirling, revealing the beers thickness. It is actually that viscous, that it leaves spots of lacing on the glass after taking a sip.

Offers sweet aromas of molasses, toffee and caramel on top. This gets balanced by coffeeish earth, charred coal, dried fruits and warming chocolate dipped alcohol. This gets hold together by even more charred malts and toasty bakers chocolate.

Offers the most silk mouthfeel. Incredibly smooth, soft on the palate, with a diverse, fuller body. Low carbonated, with rich roasty flavors to it.

Tastes of dark, roasty malts, accompanied by sweet toffee and smooth chocolate. Turns then sweeter, due to caramel and molasses, with a good amount of roast shining through. Provides boozy, earthy coffee, wrapped up by sweet liquor pralines, resulting in a very sweet finish, driven by milk chocolate and smooth cream.

Has a very sweet but gently balanced appearance, preventing the beer from becoming cloyingly sweet. As for its depth, roasted coffee adds a lot of character to the beer, competing with smooth chocolate and sweet fudge. (1,206 characters)

Had the '012 this past night and i've been wanting to sample this for the longest time. First off, if there is any imperial stout out there that shows barrel aging is not not necessary to make a damn good beer this is it. This was medium bodied and the nose was pretty bourbon heavy. The beer had noticeable bourbon to it but did not match the amount I got on the nose. I have to say, this was incredibly smooth and had so much complexity that I could care less if it was barrel aged or not. One sip, I tasted bourbon, chocolate, and maple syrup, while another sip I tasted coconut and raisins. This beer does have a good amount of hype but for someone who is not one to seek out imperial stouts, I was impressed. (713 characters)

On draft at Cooper’s Tavern. Only $6 a glass. I've had Darkness 2014 a few times, from the bottle only though. This was on draft and lacked the nice bourbon oak taste that I remember. Still, was pretty darn good. More of the chocolate and raisin flavor came through. And hell, at $6 a glass, that was one awesome deal. (320 characters)

A- pours motor oil thick jet black in color with a thick and creamy dark tan head that retains long after the pour, leaving some lacing behind

S- tons of dark & tart cherry aroma up front that smells like the filling of a cherry pie. Underneath the cherry notes are complex layers of chocolate malt that add aromas of dark chocolate, caramel, molasses, brown sugar pie crust, even a hint of cinnamon. Just a hint of oxidation

Appearance: pours brown and leaves a small espresso colored head, in the glass it looks like glossy motor oil.

Aroma: Huge rush of chocolate, followed closely with roasted coffee, and tart cherry. When there is a head I can detect vanilla as well.

Taste: Instantly hit with that roasted coffee, that is quickly balanced by chocolate, then this beer turns and hits you with some tart cherry and chocolate only. The finish hits you with char first and then molds into an awesome blend of tart cherry, roasted coffee, chocolate, and a good amount of vanilla. All the flavors mold together wonderfully and every flavor complements other flavors. This is probably the best tasting non barrel aged imperial stouts I have had so far.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thick feel; a little sticky which actually works with this beer quite well, very smooth and drinkable. The flavor lingers a little but it is slightly muted leaving you craving for more.

Overall: This is an excellent imperial stout and Surly has executed it very well. This is definitely a new favorite for me and I need more! (1,075 characters)

EBF Sample -- not for me. Way too boozy for me, too hot on the finish with strong astringency. I was really looking forward to this one, but it fell flat. Look and smell were fine, but I didn't feel like it was well integrated with the bold flavors and interesting nuances I was hoping for. Will try again, but won't seek this one out. (335 characters)

Shared at Hunahpu’s day 2014 in the massive bottle share, poured into souvenir taster. Opaque black body with a resilient tan cap that leaves webbing all over the little glass. Aroma features roasted malt, coffee, raisin, unsweet chocolate, dried cherries, and a surprising bit of soy and citrus. Taste is roasty malt and dried fruit sweetness, coffee and cocoa bitterness. On the lower end of the full body spectrum, thick and creamy texture, soft but appropriate carbonation, warming boozy finish. (501 characters)

Pours a small but tight head, dissipates pretty quickly. Smells of roasted malts, chocolate, a little coffee. Big, rich taste, malty but not as roasty as many other RIP's. Chocolate very prevalent, pretty sweet for the style. Good body but maybe a little thinner feel than I expected.

This is a great beer and grab it if you have the chance. Looking forward to the BA 2014 version. (425 characters)

T: As my friend who drank it with me put it, "Rich and sweet and right down the middle. There's no smoke and mirrors here."

F: Like liquid Robert Patrick. If you could drink the liquid T-1000 from Terminator 2, it would feel like this beer. Feels like wine without the dryness or tack. Glides over the tongue. Thin in the best way.

O: A real treat. It's not my favorite Russian Imperial, but it's really damn good - and a very unique experience to drink. I'll look to get a younger bottle and drink it without aging to compare. Highly recommended. (923 characters)

Look-color of the beer is jet black, beer pours a shocking two fingers of frothy, tan head. wonderful lacing left on side of the glass.Smell- Roasted malts, caramel molasses, coffee, milk chocolate, Raisens.Taste- Unbelievably complex yet super smooth, roasted malts, toast, raisins, plums, milk chocolate, coffee, pink peppercorns. so much sweetness but banked by the toasted grain taste of the malts and some fruity spiciness.Feel- Full bodied but not quite oil. perfectly creamy.Overall- one of the best stouts, if not the best, that i've tried. its really beyond words. (577 characters)

Got to try 2013 and 2012 side by side at Toronado for a Surly Lunch. Both were amazing with the 2013 having a bit less sweetness and more balance imo. Both were jet black deliciousness though! (192 characters)

Look: the pure dark of the abyss. Smell: I've got a cold. Taste: smoooooth. Many Russian Imperial Stouts, which I love, can be somewhat rough in taste: super roasty and with strong alcohol burn. But this is elegant with hints of coffee, dark fruit, and maple syrup. None of these jump up. The tastes are superbly integrated and I can't taste the alcohol at all. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy.

The hype surrounding this made me prepared to be disappointed, but I was pleasantly surprised that this was even better than I'd heard. Pretty rare. (547 characters)

2013 release, "Brewcifer", 750mL. I've had Darkness multiple times, but have never given it a review until nowA 4.75 - opaque and jet black with a tall, frothy light brown head that hangs around awhile leaving sticky lacing as it slowly dissipatesS 4.75 - huge roasty nose with plenty of dark chocolate, raisin, and fruity estersT 5 - dark chocolate slathers the palate with cherry, raisin, coffee, roasted barley, oat, faint pine all melded together perfectlyM 5 - full bodied, sticky and sweet, velvety smooth and creamy, exceptionally balanced finish makes it incredibly easy to drink; it is boozy but not overlyO 4.75 - always has been a favorite beer of mine. Apparently they're now barrel aging it starting in 2014, but in my opinion it doesn't need to be. It's phenomenal the way it is. Maybe they should keep both options open. (840 characters)

Picked this up in a great trade with Evan! 2013 vintage. Pitch black pour with a gorgeous two finger caramel-colored head with great retention and decent lacing. The nose is dark and roasty with hints of cocoa, dark fruits, espresso, licorice, and a subtle vinous character. The taste is earthy and vinous and pretty much mirrors the nose. Hints of cocoa, espresso, licorice, dark chocolate, black pepper, dark fruits, leather, tobacco, port wine, and smoke. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with medium carbonation and a dry, bitter finish. Overall, definitely didn't live up to the hype. Pretty average and overrated... (625 characters)

A dark motor oil beast of a beer! wow! I really liked this beer. Poured a deep, dark, molasses black. Has a roasted, traditional stout aroma. The taste is just awesome. Dark fruit, molasses and coffee make this masterpiece a must seek, must find, must have beer. 2013 version acquired at Darkness Day, this beer lived up to the hype. I have had many good stouts and this one as of now is the best.